2014 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper: 3B Pedro Alvarez

Pedro is currently falling down 2014 fantasy rankings and he is shockingly ranked eighth among third basemen on ESPN’s rankings. Unproven fantasy options, like Josh Donaldson, are even ranked ahead of Alvarez, which is absolutely insulting to the Steel City Smasher. People are using his .233 batting average or his 186 strikeouts as an excuse to exclude Alvarez from their top-five third basemen. However, the stats are there and this kid can seriously hit for power.

The veteran was tied for the National League-lead last season with 36 long balls to go along with a gaudy .473 Slugging Perctange. He even added 100 RBIs to his All-Star campaign, which was tied for fifth-best in the NL. These are some serious power numbers.

Despite his lack of attention, Alvarez has now clubbed 66 home runs in the last two seasons, which is shockingly 13 more than 3B David Wright has hit over the past three seasons combined. Alvarez has mastered the art of sitting on a fastball and he has quietly become one of the best power-hitters in fantasy.

Alvarez will be the ultimate value pick at the hot corner this fantasy season and he will be one of the best options to grab in the middle of the draft. He obviously won’t hit for average, as he has a career .235 average, but he should have no problem finishing the 2014 season with another 25-plus homers.